Uganda: Sponsoring Hope

By Christy

I met the most incredible young men and women who helped us lead the Youth Camp in Uganda. Our team of "camp counselors" was a group of the most joyful, warm, exuberant young people you can imagine, despite the loss of parents or loved ones which many of them have faced. Though it has been weeks since we were together, I still wake up each morning missing them, and I go to sleep each night with them on my heart.
One of them was Shallom, who works in a baby orphanage, has a passion for computers, and a heart that overflows for others.

And there's Brian, who is getting close to graduating from Nursing College. His smile lights everyone up.

Cathy's gorgeous voice and infectious joy lifted us up twice each day as we sang praise songs and clapped hands together to the beat of the resounding drums.

Alan was on a path for engineering, but discovered his true calling at camp...now he hopes to dedicate his life to leading youth camps.

Micheal and Andru are artists, with dreams of having their ceramics on exhibit someday.

Talk to Silas and you can't miss his passion for creating culinary delights. He's working to complete his Culinary Program and dreams of having a restaurant with unique ethnic cuisine in his village. Silas is one of the silliest people I've ever known. Oh, how he makes us howl with laughter! And yet, he is wise beyond his years. Julius loves to dance, and hopes to study computer software, if he can overcome the struggle of school fees.

Each one of these new friends at camp has dreams. The recurring struggle we heard throughout camp was not being able to pursue their dreams because they couldn't pay school fees. Unlike the free education that is available to all students in America...In Uganda, school fees (or books and uniform fees) are required for every year of schooling (the equivalent of Kindergarten to 12th grade). Students raise enough school fees for one term, then have to sit out the next term (or the next year) until they can raise enough fees to continue again. Patricia, a teen I met at camp, brought a dozen purses (which she had created by making thousands of paper beads), hoping to sell them to pay for school fees.

The only students who had stability with regard to their schooling, it seemed, were the ones who have Sponsors. A Sponsor is someone who gives support to a child by praying for them, writing notes to encourage, and helping cover school fees, and other needs. Kindri, our American host in Uganda, told us that everyone in Uganda knows the term, Sponsor. In fact, she explained that there are so many orphans and such desperation that a young Ugandan might walk up to a Muzungu (white person)--a total stranger--and ask if they would be their Sponsor. For many here, a Sponsor is the only avenue they see for hope for their future. That is what a Sponsor does...they bring hope. In Uganda, sponsorship is arranged through various non-profits who help support AIDS orphans and others. Brian, the one in Nursing College, told me about one of his happiest days a few years ago when his Sponsor visited from California, and after years of her support, he got to meet her.

He calls her "Mum", and he glows when he talks about her. He is eagerly awaiting the chance to see her for a 2nd time when (he told me proudly), she is coming for his Graduation Day from Nursing College. 
I have known for many years about opportunities to sponsor a child, but I never knew until now how MUCH being a Sponsor mattered....How much it matters because it can change the future of a child's life, entirely....and how much it matters to the child or young person, on so many levels--physically and spiritually, and now I see the impact personally and emotionally. You should hear kids talk about their sponsors, or pull out a worn out photo and proudly tell you the name of their "Mum" or of each one in their Sponsor family. When we had times of prayer with the kids, they would always ask you to pray for their nation, and for their Sponsor. They hold their Sponsor so dear. I underestimated how much encouragement it brings a child to know that there is someone out there in the world who cares. Who cares about them. A person who helps provide for their needs, and who sends letters or photos. It seems like such a simple thing on the part of a Sponsor, but now I see how much struggle and burden it lifts, and much hope it brings...for a child to know that someone loves them, and wants them to succeed, and wants them to be able to dream bigger. How inspirational. No wonder they hold their Sponsor so close.
And now I can see how much indescribable joy it gives a Sponsor, to have someone so special in your life, and to have the priceless gift of seeing that child grow into the amazing person God has made them to be, and to see them flourish.

Now that I have met such extraordinary young people, who are able to pursue their dreams because they have the support of a Sponsor...young people who have so much to give and who will make such a difference in this world...I want to sponsor 27 kids...or more!! If you feel a stir in your heart to be a Sponsor, let us know. We now know dozens of children and youth who need Sponsors, ones we know by name and ones we carry in our heart.